I
was most surprised to learn that ethics in Public Relations (PR) and
Advertising was interesting. Going into the semester, I wasn’t sure what to
expect, but an entire class dedicated to teaching standard laws and appropriate
behaviors in the field didn’t radiate entertaining to me. But I was thoroughly
surprised.
I
really enjoyed the case studies, far more than I thought I would. Presenting
the different cases and researching the motivation behind their actions was
almost like detective work at times. The most entertaining case study that we
presented, I think, was the Planned Parenthood and Susan G. Komen funding
issue. It was a great opportunity for my group, who all had differing and
opposing views, to figure out a way to meet in the middle. And we did. We
handled the case study well, and I think we were successful in really digging
into the deep issue that the funding presented. It was also more exciting due
to the sensitivity of the topic as a whole. Our main focus was to really
present the issue and leave opinion out of it. I was very glad to hear that we
did that well.
Obviously,
learning PR ethics will prove to be very useful in my career. The knowledge
will not only be a great tool to use when trying to decide how to ethically
approach a difficult situation, but taking the time to make ethical decisions
can do nothing to hurt my credibility in the industry. I think credibility is
one of the most important things that a PR professional must have. Credibility
ultimately helps to instill trust in both the client and the public. That is
very important for not only a successful campaign but also for a successful
career. And ultimately, that is what I want: success.
I
know not every decision that I’ll face in my career is going to be black and
white. There will be complications and underlying details that may justify an
unethical action to ensure an ethical outcome. There will be those times where
I’ll struggle with my decisions, and I’ll wonder if there even is an ethical
approach to take. But I feel like in learning the theories as well as we did,
I’ll be able to use this class to solve even the toughest dilemmas.
My
“oh, wow,” moment was when I realized that all of the horror stories I’d
learned about my teacher weren’t true. I had been one of the students that had
come into the classroom on the first day terrified about what to expect. I’d
been told numerous times that Professor Bufkins was a hard grader and had, at
times, made these students consider changing their major. While, you were a
difficult grader, I enjoyed that because when I got good comments or praise on
a paper, I knew it was because it was well earned. I had a bigger sense of
pride in the work that I’d completed. I knew that if it was good to you, then
it was good. And when it was bad, I knew the comments were made only to make me
a stronger writer and a deeper thinker. I think you did a great job a making a
seemingly boring class entertaining and the time, for me, flew by. Thank you
for a great semester!
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